I work for a voluntary agency (YMCA in Torbay) that offer an alternative education programme like the conservatives are talking about. Sometimes the last thing young people are worried about is their education because the rest of their life is so hectic, they come from backgrounds that are hectic and complicated, most of the times they are on survival mode. They need support to engage in life before education!
Maggie Naylor, UK

When I was at school poor work and test results and bad behaviour we're all resolved with a short, sharp caning from the Teacher with a minimal disruption to the rest of the class. The offender was punished and it served as a useful lesson and deterrent to the rest of the class.
Alan Busby, England

If you are a lone parent and working, what do you with your kids during the school holidays, all 13 weeks of them. How many jobs are there which fit in with the school year and school day? Are 11 year olds allowed to be left alone at home? Stop attacking lone parents. They're an easy target. Britain's long term economic problems are considerably more challenging.
Alexandra Coventry, Belgium

It dismays me that I am regularly hearing politicians of all shades talking about excluded young people being treated only in pupil referral units or centres.
My concern is that they do not seem to be aware that there are schools (called EBSD), who deliver fulltime provision and cover most of the national curriculum subjects. My particular school, Phoenix College Reading, has very low NEET percentages and, young people leave their year 11 with at least 5 GCSE subjects, 8 entry level subjects and some already with college qualifications.
Ekie Lansdown-Bridge, Principal Phoenix College, Reading

I am one of the thousands of parents faced with sending my child to a school I did not choose. I have been allocated an extremely under-achieving school for a child who is extremely talented. No system seems fair - we need good schools everywhere. The allocation debate is a clever ploy to mask this fundamental issue.
My option now is to move or home-school.
E French, Peacehaven, East Sussex

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